Battle of Pälkjärvi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Pälkjärvi |
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| Part of the Finnish War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Sweden |
 Russian Empire |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Karl Wilhelm Malm |
Ilya Alekseyev |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 650 2 guns |
1,300 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 55 killed or wounded | 144 killed, wounded or captured | ||||||
The Battle of Pälkjärvi was a fight between Swedish and Russian forces. It happened on August 10, 1808, in a place called Pälkjärvi, which is now in Russia. This battle was part of a bigger conflict known as the Finnish War.
What Happened Before?
Before this battle, Swedish forces had been pushing into an area called Savonia. A Swedish commander named Johan August Sandels led about 2,000 men. They faced a much larger Russian army of 8,000 soldiers.
The Swedes had to leave the town of Kuopio on June 18. But they didn't give up easily. They used a tactic called guerrilla warfare, which means small groups of soldiers attacked the enemy in surprise raids.
For example, on June 25, the Swedes pretended to attack Kuopio. At the same time, other Swedish groups captured a big Russian supply convoy. This clever move made the Russians send thousands of their troops back to Kuopio. This was against the orders of their main commander, Fyodor Buxhoeveden.
Another Swedish attack on Kuopio happened on July 1. Even though it didn't fully succeed, the Russians lost many more soldiers than the Swedes. These actions showed that the Swedes were determined fighters.
The Battle Itself
In mid-July, the Russian commander, Barclay de Tolly, left his post due to illness. Nikolay Tuchkov took over. He wanted to send more troops to the west. However, the Swedes had been very active, and a peasant uprising against the Russians had also started.
Because of this uprising, a Russian general named Ilya Alekseyev had to retreat to Pälkjärvi. He waited there for more soldiers to arrive. When the Swedish commander Sandels heard about this retreat, he sent a force to attack Alekseyev. He wanted to defeat the Russians before their reinforcements showed up.
The Swedish force was led by Karl Wilhelm Malm. It included 250 regular soldiers and two cannons. About 400 armed peasants also joined them, making the total force around 650 men. Malm thought the Russians had about 500 cavalry and four companies of Jägers (light infantry).
However, Malm didn't know that the Russians had already received more troops. Their force was actually twice the size of his own, though they didn't have any cannons.
On the night of August 10, Malm attacked the Russian forces near the Pälkjärvi church. He sent most of his soldiers to attack from the front. The rest of his troops went around to the Russian left side to surround them.
General Alekseyev managed to stop the first Swedish attack. But when he realized he was being surrounded, and with new attacks from the front, he ordered his troops to retreat. The Russians managed to break through the Swedish encirclement because they had so many soldiers. The fighting stopped around 9:00 P.M. Alekseyev retreated to Sortavala, and Malm soon returned to Joensuu.
The Swedes lost 55 men, either killed or wounded. This included 24 peasants. The Russians lost 91 men killed or wounded, and 53 were captured. So, the Swedes won this battle.
What Happened Next?
After the battle, General Alekseyev was worried the Swedes would follow him to Sortavala. He asked for more soldiers, and he got them. Soon after, Mikhail Petrovich Dolgorukov replaced Alekseyev.
Dolgorukov moved his troops towards the Swedish positions. But by mid-September, Sandels had already pulled his forward troops back. On September 29, Dolgorukov was threatening the Swedish left side.
However, Sandels had heard bad news about other Swedish defeats. Because of this, and the threat to his flank, he ordered a retreat. The Swedes moved towards Koljonvirta, near Iisalmi. The Russians then took over the area the Swedes had left.
An agreement called the armistice at Lohteå was signed on October 3. This agreement confirmed the Swedish losses in the west. Sandels and Tuchkov would meet again in another important battle, the Battle of Koljonvirta, on October 27.
Swedish forces
- Savolax Jäger Regiment (1 company)
- Uleåborg Infantry Regiment (1 company)
- 400 armed peasants
- Savolax Artillery Brigade (2 guns)
In total: 650 men and 2 guns
